Department for Transport

Driving Licences: Trailers

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement that UK drivers who passed their test after 1 January 1997 will no longer be required to take a specialist test to tow a trailer of up to 3,500 kilograms, what were the reasons for this change; and what assessment have they made of the safety implications ofthe change.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In September, the Government implemented changes to streamline the HGV driver testing process and free up more examiner capacity. With regards to the removal of B+E requirement, car drivers will no longer need to take another test to tow a trailer or caravan which will allow around 30,000 extra HGV driving tests to be conducted every year.Road safety remains of paramount importance, and we are already working with training providers developing options for an industry-led accreditation scheme for trailer training. This could offer a standardised training and assessment approach for any driver wishing to tow a trailer, keeping driving and towing skills current and of a high standard. There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that competence and skills will worsen if drivers do not take a statutory test to tow a trailer.

A303: Stonehenge

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ease any traffic congestion on the A303 near Stonehenge.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Roads Investment Strategy 2 reflects this Government’s commitment to upgrading the A303/A358 corridor as a priority for improving connections between the South-West and London and the South-East. The delivery of the corridor is a part of a long-term aim to improve inter- and intra-regional connectivity, by providing a second reliable high-performing connection between the South-West and the South-East, in addition to the M4/M5.Following an Order of the High Court made on 30 July 2021, the Secretary of State's decision dated 12 November 2020 to grant development consent for the application by Highways England for the proposed A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge) scheme has been quashed. The Secretary of State must now re-determine that application.As a live planning case, it would not be appropriate for the Department to comment further on the scheme at this time.

Electric Scooters: Accidents

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) deaths and (2) injuries can be attributed to e-scooters in England, broken down by whether the accident was caused by (a) the users of e-scooters, (b) pedestrians, and (c) others.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There was 1 fatality, and 473 injured casualties in reported road accidents involving at least one e-scooter vehicle in England in 2020.The Department does not hold information which can be used to assign blame for the cause of the accident onto a specific road user or vehicle.

Bicycles and Electric Scooters: Vehicle Number Plates

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require registration plates on all (1) bicycles, and (2) adult-sized electric scooters

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for cycle ownership. The costs of doing so would outweigh the benefits, and this would deter many people from cycling particularly if cyclists (including children) had to cover the costs of such a system. There would be many practical difficulties too: registration plates would need to be large enough to be seen by cameras and other road users, and there is not generally enough space on bikes to allow for this.The Department is running trials of rental e-scooters to assess their safety and wider impacts. Trials e-scooters are required to carry a unique identifier that will aid with enforcement. Privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal during trials. We are carefully considering all future requirements for legal use of e-scooters.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Death

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of those who died with COVID-19 in each of the last 20 weeks had received no vaccination against the disease.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician Lord MarlesfordHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW4 November 2021 Dear Lord Marlesford, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of those who died with COVID-19 in each of the last 20 weeks had received no vaccination against the disease (HL3492). The data requested is provided, for England, in Table 1, using the most recent data we have available. Information on vaccination status is not included on the death certificate. It is obtained by linkage to the vaccination data from the National immunisation Management Service (NIMS) produced by NHS-E. While the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are responsible for the production of mortality data for England and Wales, we do not hold similar data for Wales. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Please note that the numbers of deaths of unvaccinated persons will depend on the changing number of people who are unvaccinated and the changing characteristics of unvaccinated people, which vary due to the selective vaccination roll-out and differences in uptake. To compare the risk of death in unvaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals, we advise using the age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for deaths involving COVID-19 for unvaccinated persons and for other vaccination statuses in our publication “Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 24 September 2021” [1]. These take into account the changing size and age structure of the populations with different vaccination status. This data is for England only and covers approximately 86% of all deaths.These ASMRs show that the risk of death involving COVID-19 is much lower in fully vaccinated than in unvaccinated people. Please note, other factors such as the health of the people who are unvaccinated may differ from the vaccinated population and change over time, which will affect the age-standardised mortality rates. Yours sincerely,  Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19byvaccinationstatusengland/latestTable 1 (pdf, 133.4KB)

Department for Education

Schools: Sanitation

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Independent School Standards Regulation 23A in the Advice on Standards for School Premises, published by the Department for Education in March 2015, whether an individual cubicle consisting of only a toilet and no washing facilities, that can be secured from the inside, constitutes a "room"; or whether a "room" constitutes an entire washroom space, including the cubicle and washing facilities outside it.

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulations regarding the provision of toilets apply to (1) maintained schools, (2) academy schools, and (3) independent schools.

Baroness Barran: The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 states that, in relation to toilets, a room is a space that, “can be secured from the inside and that is intended for use by one pupil at a time”. This is the standard which is applied to school buildings.The regulations relating to the provision of toilets for mainstream schools are in the School Premises (England) Regulation 2012. The regulations for independents schools and academies are held in the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

Social Services: Children

Lord Laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to the report of the Competition and Markets AuthorityChildren’s Social Care Market study, published on 22 October.

Baroness Barran: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study in March 2021 examining the lack of availability and increasing costs in children’s social care provision, including children’s homes and fostering. The CMA will examine concerns around high prices paid by local authorities and inadequate supply of appropriate placements for children. Its interim report was published on 22 October and its full report, including any recommendations, will be published by 11 March 2022.The department welcomes the findings from the CMA’s interim report but will wait for the final report and recommendations before setting out our response.

Schools: Demonstrations

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that no children are harmed during the anti-vaccination protests outside schools.

Baroness Barran: It is never acceptable for anyone to pressurise or intimidate pupils, teachers or the wider school community, and protestors engaging in this type of behaviour should immediately bring it to an end.The department has provided guidance for schools on how to handle any misinformation or disruption, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-schools/covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-children-and-young-people-guidance-for-schools. In the event of a protest or disruptive activity outside a school, or if schools know a protest is planned, they should alert the School Age Immunisation Service provider, local authority and local police contacts to discuss the best way to manage the situation.Should a protest contravene the law, the police have comprehensive powers to deal with activities that spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public disorder. This does not negate the right to peaceful protest.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Times of Sittings

Lord Balfe: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 October (HL3131), what plans he has to make this facility for staff late night travel home available on similar terms to Members of the House.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Deputy Speakers and Deputy Chairmen on duty in the Chamber are able to take a taxi when they are on duty and the House sits past 10.40pm, with costs covered up to a linear distance of 25 miles. The same limit applies to staff late night travel. There are no current plans to make the facility available more widely on similar terms to Members of the House.

Old Palace Yard: Parking

Lord Robathan: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment has been made of the security implications of allowing unsearched vehicles, without a car pass, to park in Old Palace Yard.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Parliament benefits from a significant layered security and policing presence, and is within the Government Secure Zone which also has a substantial policing footprint strengthened by additional protective and deterrent measures. Anything in this area that is deemed suspicious or a threat is swiftly identified, assessed and managed. For security reasons, it is not appropriate to detail publicly specific security arrangements or assessments. The Director of Security for Parliament is content to meet with any Members who wish to discuss specific concerns.

Peers: Allowances

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the value of allowances for (1) Day Subsistence, (2) Overnight Subsistence, and (3) Office Costs, when they were last available to Peers; and what would be the value of those allowances today if they had been uprated in line with inflation.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: These allowances were last available to Members in 2010 when they were valued as follows:• Day Subsistence - £86.50• Overnight Subsistence – £174.00• Office costs – £75.00Applying the relevant rates of inflation the values today would be:• Day Subsistence - £123.50• Overnight Subsistence – £249.00• Office costs – £108.00

Treasury

National Insurance Contributions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to increase the employment allowance, and (2) to reform upfront costs, such as business rates.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Employment Allowance (EA) reduces National Insurance contributions (NICs) bills for businesses and charities by up to £4,000 per year. This applies to those whose employer Class 1 NICs liabilities were less than £100,000 in the previous tax year. Since 2014, businesses and charities throughout the UK have been able to claim the EA, and over 1 million employers benefitted from this relief in the year 2020/21. The Government has already significantly increased the EA and does not have plans to increase it further. The Government raised the EA from £3,000 to £4,000 in April 2020, benefitting 510,000 businesses. This followed the increase from £2,000 to £3,000 in 2016, meaning the value of the EA doubled in four years. The Business Rates Review concluded at Autumn Budget 2021 and set out significant new measures to reduce the burden of business rates by £7 billion over the next five years.

Workplace Pensions

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their proposal to increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028, how many pension scheme members they estimate will benefit from the planned protection regime before 5 April 2023.

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their proposal to increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028, what estimate they have made of the number of people who will transfer existing pensions to new providers to take advantage of the planned protection regime that will be available up to 5 April 2023.

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their proposed introduction of a protection regime to allow pension scheme members to protect a minimum pension age of 55, how many pension accounts they expect to be opened for children before 5 April 2023 to protect a minimum pension age of 55 for their future.

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have consult with industry on the practicalities of implementing the proposed protection regime for increasing the normal minimum pension age to 57 in April 2028.

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects their planned protection regime for minimum pension ages will have on their policies for pension simplification and consumer engagement, including (1) the implications of increased complexity for simple Annual Statements, (2) the challenges for pension forecasts to be produced by Pension Dashboards, and (3) consolidation of smaller pension pots.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: In February 2021 the government reconfirmed that normal minimum pension age (NMPA) will rise to 57 in 2028 (as announced in 2014) and published a consultation on the implementation of the increase and a proposed protection regime. That consultation received 117 responses. The government published draft legislation in July. Throughout these consultations the government has been in regular dialogue with a wide variety of stakeholders about the proposals, including the design of the protection regime and the interplay between the implementation of the Normal Minimum Pension Age and the impact on other policy initiatives. We are considering these responses and representations carefully and will publish full details of the protection regime in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Peacekeeping Operations

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen their military commitment to maintaining peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through (1) EUFOR, or (2) NATO, deployments.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK remains committed to maintaining peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The EU stabilisation force, EUFOR, plays a vital role in safeguarding peace and security. Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council authorised EUFOR's mandate for a further 12 months. Although the UK no longer participates in EUFOR following our withdrawal from the European Union, we liaise closely with Commander EUFOR and his team. We support the NATO HQ in Sarajevo including though the secondment of UK staff officers, who are playing an important role in building the capacity of the BiH Armed Forces. We are also supporting the Armed Forces bilaterally through the supply of critical training equipment, namely live fire targets and an urban training facility. We will continue this work to ensure that we provide effective support to BiH in implementing domestic reforms and tackling challenges to peace and stability.

Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and what steps they will take to support the authority of the High Representative against challenge from (1) within Bosnia-Herzegovina, and (2) Russia.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The High Representative (HiRep) has the UK's full support, including for the use of executive powers should the situation require it. Christian Schmidt was legitimately appointed as HiRep in May by the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB), of which the UK is a member. We reject attempts from Russia and from some within Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to undermine the HiRep and to close his office prematurely. These efforts undermine regional security and BiH's objective of Euro-Atlantic integration. The conditions for closure (the so-called 5+2) were set by the PIC SB and unfortunately have not yet been met. Along with international partners, we are ensuring the HiRep's position and work is secured, and we continue to urge Russia to return to productive engagement in the PIC SB.

UK Trade with EU: Customs

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic steps they are taking to prevent the implementation of a 'go slow' strategy by French officials regarding customs checks on shipments of goods to the UK.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government views the threats issued by France as unjustified and Ministers have raised our strong concerns with both the European Commission and French Government. The French Ambassador was summoned by Minister Morton on 29 October and the Prime Minister discussed this issue with President Macron on Sunday 31 October, where the PM reiterated his deep concern over the rhetoric emanating from the French Government in recent days. We continue to engage with the European Commission and French Government regarding this issue.

Tigray: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that 9,000 Eritrean refugees living in refugee camps in Tigray have been forcibly returned to Eritrea; what discussions they have had with the government of Ethiopia about its obligations under the Refugee Convention; and when those discussions took place.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are concerned at reports of human rights violations and abuses against Eritrean refugees in Tigray by the Eritrean and Tigrayan forces from November to December 2020, including the forced repatriation of refugees to Eritrea. The British Ambassador in Eritrea raised our concerns with the Eritrean Foreign Minister in December 2020, who denied that Eritrean forces had forcibly returned Eritrean refugees to Eritrea. In March, the former Minister for Africa made clear to the Eritrean Ambassador the UK's concern about reports of human rights violations by all parties to the conflict and the need for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Tigray. The Minister for Africa also raised these issues in her first meeting with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 22 September.The report by the joint UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission investigation, published on 3 November, concludes that "There are reasonable grounds to believe that parties to the conflict have violated the rights of refugees as stipulated under international human rights law, humanitarian law, refugee law, and national laws. It is essential that all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses be held to account.We remain extremely concerned that humanitarian agencies, including the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), do not have access to refugee camps in Tigray, meaning our understanding of the humanitarian and protection context in camps and refugee hosting areas is limited. It is the responsibility of the host state to protect refugees on their territory and this was acknowledged by the Government of Ethiopia when we raised the matter.There are numerous shocking reports of atrocities committed by Eritrean forces in Tigray, and their continued presence is fueling insecurity. These forces must leave Ethiopia immediately. We continue to press hard for this commitment to be delivered.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces Bill: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the Armed Forces Bill.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 2 August 2021 to Question HL2267 to the Noble Lord, Lord Empey OBE.HL2267 - Armed Forces Bill (docx, 16.5KB)

Armed Forces Covenant: Mental Health Services

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the roll-out of Armed Forces Covenant's mental health provision service across the UK; and what plans they have, if any, to make changes to that provision.

Baroness Goldie: The Armed Forces Covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the Government, and the Armed Forces. The Covenant is not an entity which provides any direct service. It is possible that the Noble Lord is referring to Op COURAGE, the current NHS England mental health initiative targeted at veterans. If so, I regret that the Ministry of Defence cannot comment on mental health provision across the UK, as this is not a Defence matter. Health is a devolved responsibility and, since 1948, it has been the policy of successive Governments that the NHS should be the main provider of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Disability and Ethnic Groups

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any long-term, disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the employment of (1) disabled people, and (2) young Black people; and what steps they are taking to address those effects.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Since 2013 (the earliest comparable year using the current definition of disability) up to the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the general trend in disability employment had been positive. There had been strong growth in the number and rate of disabled people in employment and a narrowing of the gap, between the rate of disabled and non-disabled people in employment. While quarterly statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the pandemic initially reversed these trends, there are now signs of the trends improving, with the disability employment rate returning to its pre-pandemic level in Q2 2021. The disability employment gap has also started to narrow again during Q1 and Q2 of 2021. This suggests that, in the long term, disability employment rates have not been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We continue to monitor the data and annual statistics, published by the Department on 4 November 2021, provided a more detailed view of disabled people in the labour market. These included breakdowns by a number of individual and work-related characteristics and covered the first 12 months of the pandemic. The number of disabled people in employment continued to increase (year-on-year) throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but at a slower rate than seen in previous years. The number of disabled people in employment is now above pre-pandemic levels. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have provided specialist employment support remotely and made programmes easier to access. A range of DWP initiatives are supporting disabled people to start and stay in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services. Data from the Annual Population Survey shows the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on young Black people in relation to employment. Before the Covid-19 pandemic (July 2018 - June 2019) the employment rate for 16-24 year-old black people was 36.3%. This fell during the pandemic to 27.4% between July 2020 - June 2021.This is the latest available published data and therefore we cannot yet see how the employment rate of young black people has changed as the economy recovers from the pandemic.Throughout these unprecedented times, the Government has provided crucial support to record numbers of claimants. . This includes the Youth Offer, which has been developed to ensure that 18-24 year olds claiming Universal Credit have the skills they need to look for, find and keep employment. We also have a national programme of mentoring circles, involving employers offering specialised support to young jobseekers from ethnic minority backgrounds, including young black people.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with representatives of (1) haulage companies, and (2) other organisations involved in the goods supply chain, about recent disruptions to the UK supply networks.

Lord Benyon: Over recent months the Government, predominantly through the Department for Transport and Defra, has had a sustained dialogue with haulage companies and other organisations involved in the goods supply chain, as well as ministers and officials in the Devolved Administrations. This has included ministerial and industry roundtables, industry summits and tailored workshops. Through this dialogue, we have been able to strengthen communication between government and industry and discuss issues and solutions, on a range of matters that have the potential to cause disruption to UK supply networks, especially with regard to the supply of food. This includes logistics issues at ports of entry for goods entering the UK, labour shortages across the supply chain (particularly lorry drivers), and the domestic supply of carbon dioxide.

Sewage: Lake District

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Environment Agency has had with water companies regarding the ending of sewage dumping in the Lake District; and when they expect to meet the target of high quality water in that area, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency (EA) has regular discussions with United Utilities (UU), the water company which covers the North West of England, including the Lake District. The EA is working actively with UU to ensure overflows are properly controlled and to stop environment harm by overflows. In the last Asset Management Plan (AMP) cycle (2015-2020) UU delivered a number of schemes in the Lake District to reduce nutrient inputs into Windermere and other lakes. UU also made improvements to reduce the frequency of storm spills into Lake Windermere from Glebe Road pumping station and into Lake Grasmere from Grasmere Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW). As a result, the number of storm spills from Glebe Road reduced from 157 in 2018, to 28 in 2020; and at Grasmere WWTW, from 260 in 2018 to 7 in 2020. The EA required UU to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on storm overflows across Cumbria. In the current AMP period (2020-2025) UU must investigate the impact of over 50 storm overflows in Cumbria, which data has shown are spilling frequently, using the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework. The objective for all waters in the Lake District is to achieve good ecological status. These objectives are set out in the North West river basin management plan. While some waters in the Lake District have improved, some are still below good status. All waters face increasing pressures on the wider water environment including climate change and population growth. To address these challenges, UU and EA are developing the next AMP cycle of improvements (2025 – 2030) to identify investment to improve water quality; as well as developing UU’s drainage and wastewater management plans and delivering the UU’s green recovery programme. The Environment Bill, which will place future drainage and sewerage management plans on a statutory footing, also legislates for a package of measures to tackle storm overflows, which will help to reduce harm from sewage across all parts of the country, including in the Lake District.

Rivers: Standards

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of English rivers have been assessed as being of a good ecological standard; and how has this percentage changed over the last three years.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The most recent full assessment of the ecological status of all water bodies in England was made in 2019, when 14% of rivers were reported at good ecological status. This proportion was unchanged from the previous assessment reported in 2016. Pressures on our water environment have increased significantly in recent years, including due to population growth and climate change. The Environment Agency and Defra work together closely on addressing the pressures that prevent water bodies in England from meeting ‘good’ status. Improving water quality is a priority for the Government and we are committed to the ambition of the 25 Year Environment Plan supported by at least one legally binding water target in the Environment Bill. Through regulation, enforcement, financial incentives and educational schemes, we are improving poor farming practices which lead to water pollution. Water improvement is also supported by significant funding from water companies, required in their statutory duties. In the current Price Review period (2020-25) they have committed £7.1 billion towards environmental improvements.

Home Office

Crime: Gender Recognition

Lord Triesman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to stop recording offences committed by trans women in the female crime statistics; and what plans they have, if any, to issue corrected data to ensure consistency of data sets, especially in regards to rape.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government’s position was set out in its response to a petition calling for the sex of violent and sexual offenders be recorded throughout justice system which can be found here:https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/590123

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Community Renewal Fund

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the allocations for this year's Community Renewal Fund will be announced; and whether they still expect that these projects will be delivered in the current year.

Lord Greenhalgh: Successful projects for the UK Community Renewal Fund were announced on 3 November.

Local Government: Carer's Allowance

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to respond to the proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 made by Weymouth Town Council in December 2019 for the dependent carer’s allowance to be extended to parish and town councils.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to expanding democratic engagement, and practical solutions to remove barriers to participation in local democracy are always appreciated. The Department will respond to Weymouth Town Council’s proposal in due course.

Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, about amending the Business and Planning Act 2020 (Pavement Licences) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 to make it a requirement that all pavement licences are 100 per cent smokefree; and if so, what was the outcome those discussions.

Lord Greenhalgh: The temporary pavement licence provisions that were introduced in the Business and Planning Act 2020 and subsequently extended have a national smoke-free condition requiring businesses to provide seating where smoking is not permitted. In addition, Local Authorities can attach their own conditions, including those that prohibit smoking.

Local Government

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government which new parish and town councils were established as a result of a community governance review for each year between 2010–11 and 2020–21.

Lord Greenhalgh: The community governance review process enables a principal council to carry out a review of the local arrangements in its area and make changes, which could include the abolition or restructuring of local parish councils. The Government encourages all communities wishing to establish a parish council to petition their local authority to that effect, regardless of where they live.This is the information we hold on new parish councils created each year between 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 as a result of a community governance review. Records of new parishes created through a community governance review prior to 2016 are not held in this format.2016-17: Sherfield Park Parish Council; Norton and Cuckney Parish Council; Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council; Bingley Town Council; Finham Parish Council; Hathersage Parish Council; Asterby, Goulceby and Ranby Parish Council; Pannal with Burn Bridge Parish Council; East Hunsbury Parish Council; Exton and Horn Parish Council; Aston Tirrold and Aston Upthorpe Parish Council. 2017-18: South Trumpington Parish Meeting; Macclesfield Town Council; West Hill Parish Council; Batchworth Parish Council; Aldcliffe-with-Stodday Parish Council; Lowestoft Town Council; Oulton Broad Parish Council; Central Swindon North Parish Council; South Swindon Parish Council; West Swindon Parish Council; St Andrews Parish Council; Blunsdon Parish Council; Nythe, Eldene and Liden Parish Council. 2018-19: N/A 2019-20: Oulton Parish Council; Heybridge Basin Parish Council; Shipley Town Council. 2020 – 21: North Boyatt Wood Parish Council; Northstowe Town Council.

Towns Fund

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of town councils in the (1) preparation, (2) governance, and (3) delivery, of applications successful in securing the Towns Fund.

Lord Greenhalgh: Local authorities of all tiers, including town councils, are vital to the success of the Towns Fund and play a key role in delivery. This includes being members of Town Deal Boards, shaping Town Investment Plans and delivering projects to make a real and tangible difference to local people.The nature of the role of local authorities in delivering the Towns Fund will also be subject of the process and impact evaluations which will run throughout the length of the Towns Fund programme.

Northern Ireland Office

Economic Situation: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to support the economy of Northern Ireland.

Lord Caine: Northern Ireland benefits hugely from being part of the fifth largest economy in the world. The UK Government is committed to levelling up across Northern Ireland, by promoting enterprise, creating jobs and attracting investment. Northern Ireland will benefit from the UK Government's policies to level up the UK economy as a whole, such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, commitments to invest in Research and Development across the UK and support for local businesses. During the Spending Review and Autumn Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced that the UK Government will provide the Northern Ireland Executive with an additional £1.6 billion per year on average through the Barnett formula on top of its annual baseline funding of £13.4 billion, along with an extra £235 million for 2021/22. The Chancellor also announced that a total of £49 million has been allocated across 11 projects in Northern Ireland from the Levelling Up Fund, including; upgrading the electric vehicle charging network across Northern Ireland, the creation of a new bioscience research centre at Ulster University and the redevelopment of a derelict Ministry of Defence site in Derry/ Londonderry into an urban community farm. The £400 million New Deal for Northern Ireland funding and £617 million provided through the City and Growth Deal programme will boost local growth and ensure Northern Ireland is ready to seize economic opportunities. These investments are on top of the £2 billion financial package through the New Decade, New Approach agreement and £730 million into the new PEACE PLUS programme. Northern Ireland is also set to benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will help people access opportunity in places in need, such as deprived towns and rural and coastal communities. The UKSPF will increase to £1.5 billion / year in 2024-25 and total funding will at a minimum match the size of EU Funds in all nations, each year.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill provides for (1) salaries, (2) secretarial expenses, and (3) travelling expenses, to be credited to Members of the Legislative Assembly during the proposed 24 week extension period for filling Ministerial offices.

Lord Caine: The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill does not make any provision in respect of the salaries, secretarial expenses and travelling expenses of Members of the Legislative Assembly during the proposed 24-week extension period for filling Ministerial offices

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support available to victims of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in mainland Great Britain.

Lord Caine: The Troubles Permanent Disablement Scheme opened in August 2021 and is being delivered by the Northern Ireland Executive. The scheme provides acknowledgement and support to people who were injured in a Troubles-related incident throughout the UK between 1966 and 2010 and living with permanent disablement as a result. UK citizens, people from Northern Ireland or Crown Servants injured in a relevant incident in Europe will be eligible to apply. In addition, the Home Office’s Victims of Terrorism Unit ensures that victims of terrorism in Great Britain receive effective, comprehensive and coordinated support. Further details on the range of support available can be found at victimsofterrorism.campaign.gov.uk. The Home Secretary has committed to an internal review, which will assess the wider support package available to victims of terrorism and will provide recommendations.

Department for International Trade

Ports: Wales

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the volume of trade coming from the Republic of Ireland via ports in Wales for onward transmission to continental Europe since 1 January.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Department for International Trade does not hold the data requested. The Intrastat data collection (collected by HMRC), which does not collect port information, is still being used in 2021 for Great Britain imports from the EU. Cabinet Office and HMRC continue to monitor the flow of freight vehicles travelling between the UK and EU nations, including those travelling between the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, and continental Europe.